John Robert See

Born July 14, 1962, in Elkhart, Indiana to Patricia See and Richard Leon See, John was the fifth of six children. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Bloomington in secondary math education and an MFA in creative writing from Western Michigan University.

John’s career stretched from a middle school math classroom in Boone Grove, Indiana, to the halls of government in Washington, D.C.. As a White House stenographer, John traveled the world alongside President Bill Clinton — a job that put him in the path of a feisty television journalist, Patty Chung, who would become his wife of 23 years.

John’s background in teaching and communication eventually led him to the U.S. Department of Education, where he served as speechwriter for the Secretary of Education. He later moved on to the American Federation of Teachers and spent over 16 years in roles including, Director of Strategic Campaigns and later led their Office of Research and Strategic Initiatives. In 2018, John launched his own consulting firm, specializing in trade unions, research, and strategic communications.

Outside of work, John served as a clerk at Cleveland Park Congregational Church, where he played the cello, and cherished the time he spent with the congregation. Throughout his life, John worked tirelessly to help others. He volunteered at homeless shelters, food banks, his children’s schools — wherever he saw need.

With his formidable intellect, John could unleash the power of both brain hemispheres. A published author and poet, an accomplished cellist, an avid tennis player, a voracious reader, and a Yankees fan who rarely missed a game on the TV or radio, John could also hold forth on number theory and would discuss prime numbers with anyone who showed even a hint of interest. One year, for his birthday, Patty gave John lessons with a math tutor so he could ‘nerd out’ to his heart’s content. Unsurprisingly, John ended up teaching the tutor.

While John was known for his love and kindness, his quick wit and dryly delivered one-liners spared no one.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Patty; his sons, Becket, Nicholas, and Emerson; his siblings Jim (Inna), Mike, Peg Lupinski (Lucian), Maribeth Sellers (Dan), and his sister-in-law Patsy; 11 nephews and 4 nieces, including Susannah, a nurse who was instrumental in helping to care for John during his last days; his sisters-in-law Kathy (Mike), who was a rock for Patty and the boys, and Suzy Chung, along with brother-in-law Sang Chung (Abby). He was preceded in death by his father and his brother, Martin.

A celebration of John’s life will be held on July 26th at Cleveland Park Congregational Church at 11 am. Friends of the See family have started a GoFundMe campaign for his children’s college fund (https://www.gofundme.com/f/college-fund-for-the-see-boys).

John is deeply missed and forever loved.